


easy pickings

by GreenMuffinRanger (FuzzyPurplePenguins)



Series: sledge is a deformed tornadus [1]
Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Alternate Universe, Everyone has One Pokemon Partner, Gen, Pokemon AU, Riley Loves His Dog, Yes you read that right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 03:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4331625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuzzyPurplePenguins/pseuds/GreenMuffinRanger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley picks him up and snuggles him in his jacket, stroking his fluffy head and unable to control the smile breaking out on his face when the dog licks his hand.</p><p>"I think I'll call you Rubik."</p>
            </blockquote>





	easy pickings

**Author's Note:**

> Fucking fight me.
> 
> kiwiraptor5ever on tumblr asked me to write a Pokemon AU, and my brain was like "Okay. But what if canon AU?"
> 
> I AM A SUCKER FOR CANON AUs, THEY ARE MY BREAD AND BUTTER.
> 
> Enjoy you guys!

When Riley is twelve, he wakes up to a brown-tan egg with green splotches resting on his pillow besides his head.  
  
He sits bolt upright and tugs it into his arms, runs his fingers across it, gently, carefully.  
  
It's warm.  
  
He stumbles out of bed, cradling his egg as he takes the stairs slowly.  
  
"Ma! Ma!"  
  
Eileen Griffin simply smiles as her youngest son comes tiptoeing into the kitchen, trying to contain his excitement as he holds out the brown egg in his arms.  
  
"About time, squirt," Matt smirks, the look only growing when Riley scowls and sticks his tongue out at his older brother.  
  
"You're going to have to take the best care of whoever's waiting in there," Eileen directs her attention back to her younger son, watching with a smile as Riley holds his egg close, an awed look on his face.  
  
"Yes, ma."  
  
_**xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
It's only a few weeks until the egg hatches.  
  
Riley's climbing the hilly part of the ranch, egg safely tucked in his arms, when he hears a soft cracking noise.  
  
He immediately plops down on the grass and sets the egg in front of him, waiting with unrestrained glee.  
  
Silence reigns besides the cracking of the shell and Riley waits, waits, waits.  
  
Finally the top of the egg splits and out pokes a tan, fluffy head and big green eyes.  
  
"Hi," He says, because he can't say anything else, and the newly hatched Lillipup barks and forcibly headbutts his way out of the egg.  
  
Riley picks him up and snuggles him in his jacket, stroking his fluffy head and unable to control the smile breaking out on his face when the dog licks his hand.  
  
"I think I'll call you Rubik."  
  
_**xxxxxxxx**_  
  
Rubik is his best friend.  
  
Riley's always been a loner, felt like no one his age could understand him or be worth his time, not when they thought cars were the coolest thing ever, when they teased him for his 'weak little baby normal type'.  
  
"So plain," Joshua Parker had teased. "And what Lillipup has green fur? I bet my Treecko would beat it easily."  
  
He'd quickly eaten those words when Riley and Rubik had shown how strong their bond was with a Return.  
  
At any rate, Riley didn't mind too much that the kids his age didn't want to be around him. He had his mom, Matt, Rapidash and Arcanine, and the animals and Pokemon of the ranch.  
  
That's all he needs, really.  
  
_**xxxxxxxxx**_  
  
Riley's sixteen when Rubik evolves.  
  
It's a weak point the bullies of his high school exploit, sneering and so proud of their stage ones that they think it's easy pickings to mess with Riley, to call him weak with his "basic Pokemon".  
  
But Rubik proves over and over that he may be small, but he's not weak. His Returns become infamous across the school no matter how much Riley wishes he could just melt into the shadows and get through his remaining year without incident.  
  
Christian Cain, number one bully of Amber County High School, pushes him into a concrete wall one cold January morning.  
  
"You think you're such hot shit, Griffin," He sneers, the heads of his Zweilous snapping menacingly. "So smart, gotta rub it in everyone else's faces, huh, faggot?"  
  
Riley breathes in and Rubik barks angrily from the ground, trying to bite at Cain's leg.  
  
The normal type doesn't get very far, as Zweilous effortlessly tosses Rubik across the grass.  
  
"Rubik!" Riley chokes, and Cain just laughs.  
  
"Pathetic."  
  
A bright glow begins to pulse from where Rubik's feebly struggling to his paws.  
  
Riley watches with wide-eyes as the glow grows and grows, and when it disappears suddenly -  
  
"Her-dier!" Rubik barks furiously.  
  
\- Rubik's evolved.  
  
Riley doesn't remember what happens after that, just that he goes home with Rubik trailing after him, shiny new silver coat glinting in the sun.  
  
Eileen raises an eyebrow when they walk into the kitchen. "Interesting day at school, honey?"  
  
"I'm going to start fencing," Riley responds. It's something he'd always been interested in, and now is as good a time as any.  
  
"Be careful," is all Eileen says as she bends down to feed Rubik several Pokepuffs.  
  
_**xxxxxxxx**_  
  
As it turns out, fencing comes in handy against alien monsters hell bent on killing his dog.  
  
Riley's seen the tv reports about aliens and monsters and the forces that battle them alongside Pokemon, the Power Rangers, but he never thought monsters would be in Amber County.  
  
"Rubik, Headbutt!" He calls as he scoops up the sparkling green gem that had transformed a steel beam into a sword for him to wield.  
  
Rubik sends the monster stumbling back, disoriented, as green energy swarms across Riley's body, a vision of a velociraptor flashing in his mind.  
  
Riley doesn't wait for the monster to recover, whistles for Rubik and takes off running back to the ranch.  
  
_**xxxxxxxx**_  
  
"Please, ma? I miss Casey."  
  
He needs to get to the Amber Beach Dinosaur Museum, figure out what this green gem is, and why a monster attacked him and Rubik to get it.  
  
Casey lives in the city, and he's responsible, and Riley really does miss his older cousin.  
  
Eileen sighs and tugs him into her arms, dropping a kiss affectionately on Riley's forehead as Arcanine bows his head and noses Rubik lightly. "Alright. Just for the summer."  
  
Riley beams and squishes her tight. "Thanks ma!" He grins, and dashes off to go pack, Rubik hot on his heels.  
  
**_xxxxxxxxxx_**  
  
His scooter breaks down halfway to Amber Beach.  
  
Rubik whines and noses at his ankles as Riley leafs through the old instruction manual, so engrossed he almost misses the sound of a car pulling up.  
  
"You need a ride?"  
  
The brunette starts, head jerking up to stare at the red Jeep pulled up beside him.  
  
A Latino male and a pretty African-American are seated in the Jeep, no Pokemon in sight. Riley knows that doesn't mean anything; Pokeballs were handy when your partner was too big to fit inside a building or a car.  
  
"Uhm, I think I'll be fine, got the ol' instruction manual-"  
  
Riley can't even finish his sentence before a commercial truck whooshes by and sends the manual flying out of his hands, pages scattering to the wind.  
  
He sighs while Rubik makes an amused noise.  
  
The male grins and hops out of the Jeep. "I'm Tyler. We can tie your scooter to the back."  
  
"Riley, and this is Rubik," The brunette says, because the Herdier's already leaped into the back seat, tail wagging as he stares expectantly at the female in the passenger seat.  
  
"Well hello," She greets the normal type, scratching Rubik's ears.  
  
Riley smiles as he helps Tyler tie his scooter to the back of the Jeep.  
  
He doesn't know it yet, but this is how his life changes dramatically. This is how he becomes stronger, how he gets to save the world, how he gets another family.  
  
All because his scooter broke down.  
  
Rubik barks and Tyler and Riley hop into the Jeep, and drive off into the distance.  
  
**_~fin_**

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Rin, Energetic, & Mo for helping me.
> 
> There will be more eventually. Because Chiley and Shyler and Koda and Kendall having their 'mons.


End file.
